Dream Team: Mark Taylor – former Sale, Scarlets, Wales & Lions centre

1. Gethin Jenkins – Burst onto the scene when I was approaching the end of my career and he’s gone on to prove how great a player he is. A huge reason why Wales have been so successful in recent times.
2. Keven Mealamu – I had the misfortune to come up against him playing for New Zealand three times in my career, a very shrewd operator who those around him followed – different class.
3. Adam Jones – When he first came on the scene with Wales he’d only last 20 minutes. The potential was there but too often his fitness let him down. Now, and I think many would agree, he’s one of the best tightheads to have played the game.
4. Alun Wyn Jones – I first met Alun Wyn when I did a presentation for his school and I gave him an achievement award. A tremendous athlete and has added so much maturity to his game.
5. Victor Matfield – A big, frightening part of South Africa‘s second row. Loved the ball in his hands and got in between compact areas.
6. Richard Hill – A real nuisance! He’d always be in the thick of things – you couldn’t get rid of him.
7. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe – I spent a year with him at Sale and he was an exceptional player, hugely talented and I think one of the finest flankers in the world.
8. Lawrence Dallaglio – My most painful memory of him was at Twickenham in 2002, when he trundled over Neil Jenkins, Rob Howley and then me for a try after a ball had broken off the scrum.
9. Justin Marshall – At the 2003 World Cup we really had New Zealand on the ropes but he pulled it back. I also had the pleasure of playing with him at Ospreys – a man who never gave up.
10. Dan Carter – I played against him on his first start for New Zealand. He played inside centre and from the off we knew he was going to be fantastic. He gave me a hand-off in the chest and used his speed to break 40 yards to score.
11. Jason Robinson – We were on the 2001 Lions tour together and I think he is the finest player I’ve ever seen, doing things that no one else could ever dream of. When the chips were down you could turn to him for inspiration.
12. Scott Gibbs – Simple choice for me. He was an animal in the backs, such a strong man and to play outside of him was a dream – he made my game easy.
13. Brian O’Driscoll – The best ever outside centre and an absolute handful – the one player whose armour you could not find a chink in.
14. Gareth Thomas – He had everything. A big man with a great presence which turned him into a leader. The first person stepping up next to you in times of need.
15. Percy Montgomery – He scored four tries against us for the Boks in Pretoria in 1998 and did all the kicking to end up with about 37 points. He went on to do great things and was one shadow I could never catch.